6 Tips to Move Your Books Safely

For any bookworm, their collection is a special part of them. It holds the books that have spoken to their hearts, the ones that have made them laugh, cry, and perhaps even shudder in fear. These titles have been curated over the years, representing many different phases of life, the various chapters, and milestones. When it’s time to move to a new home, that also means your little library will be moving along with you – and that can feel very stressful. After all, you’ve spent so much time accumulating these books, and it would be upsetting for any of them to sustain damage in transit to your new place.

How to move your books safely?

Are you preparing to relocate and looking for the best ways to effectively pack your books and minimize the risk of harm during the move? We’ve got you covered. Discover our six best tips for moving your home library to a new residence.

  • Rehome some of your collection

Like with any other items before your move, completing a declutter is extremely helpful in ensuring you only bring what you want and need to your new space. Being intentional in this way allows you to prevent clutter from accumulating in the new home and gives you less to pack and move, saving you some valuable time. Although letting go of your books can feel difficult, moving is a great way to unload your collection a bit and determine what you truly want to keep.

Another great advantage of clearing your book stash is that you get to rehome some titles to new owners who will discover their tales for the first time and appreciate the works to the fullest extent. You can certainly sell some of your books, but there are also plenty of great places to donate to as well. First, it might be easiest to see if friends or family are interested in reading any of these titles and passing some of your collection along to them. Next, you can also try local second-hand shops and thrift stores. These places will gladly take your used books. Your local library will also thoroughly value any books in good condition. With all these good homes available for your books, you can trust that any works you pass along will be well-loved.

  • Use the right supplies

As you pack your books, you want to make sure you’re using the right supplies to properly transport and protect them. Finding sturdy boxes is important, as books can get heavy fast. Be sure that you’re using small boxes, as anything too large will either break open on the bottom or be much too difficult to carry. Most recommendations encourage movers to use boxes with a maximum size of about 1.5 square feet. Anything larger than that will end up becoming too heavy if you fill it to capacity. Using smaller boxes will help you to keep your boxes within a reasonable weight.

Additionally, you will need some high-quality packing tape and plenty of it. When taping up the bottoms of your boxes, make sure you apply a sufficient amount of tape. For best results, you’ll want to apply two or three layers of tape and have all the seams adequately sealed. This will prevent any accidents with the boxes breaking open. Also, it’s best to get a few good black permanent markers to label your boxes. It’s probably best to pack the books according to how you have them displayed on your shelf since you’re used to certain books being together. Then, you can label in ways that are helpful to you, such as by denoting the genre.

  • Repurpose suitcases

Don’t forget about your hard shell suitcases when you’re packing your books. These protective carriers can be very effective at shielding your books from harm. Because these types of suitcases have a hard outer casing, they offer your books the proper protection, bracing them from any movement that may happen in transit. Plus, they have wheels, allowing you to roll them from the house to the moving truck and then into your new home much more easily. You’ll still want to remember not to overfill them to keep the weight low, but they can probably handle a bit more weight since you have the option to roll them.

  • Be mindful of the spines

When you’re putting your books into boxes, be mindful of their structural integrity, which is held together by their spines. If the spine of a book is damaged, it will largely harm the book as a whole, affecting how the pages are bound. You don’t want to pack the books so they’re standing on their spines or in a way that puts their spines on an angle. The books should be laid flat and stacked up in columns. It’s also ideal to pack binding to binding in order to reinforce each other. If you want to fill some extra space by standing some books up, that can be done – just remember to have the spines facing the walls of your box.

  • Prevent movement

It’s crucial to consider how much your books will be able to move as you load them into their boxes and suitcases. Ideally, you want to minimize movement as much as possible to prevent any damage. This is why getting small boxes is important – it allows you to fill the boxes to capacity (which reduces possible movement) but doesn’t become overbearingly bulky.

First and foremost, try to pack your boxes just about up to the top. Next, you’ll want to fill in any empty spaces, and there are a few different ways to do that. You can, as mentioned before, add a few books in between cracks by having them situated to stand up. This works great with paperbacks; just remember to be careful about how their spines are positioned. Alternatively, packing paper works very well to gently fortify the books without pushing on them too hard.

  • Get the help you can trust

Finding dependable moving experts can make a huge difference as you transport all of your items, including your valuable collection of books. Professional movers are well-versed in the ways to bring your belongings from point A to point B in the best condition possible, which is why it is so important to find a moving company you trust. Once you have your library packed sufficiently, you can get the assistance of professionals to make the process go even smoother. These moving crews will offer you a hand and decrease a lot of the stress involved with keeping your collection out of harm’s way.

Your new home library is ready!

Now that you have these effective tips under your belt, you’re ready to move your books successfully and bring your library to a new home! Looking for a reliable library moving company to make the move even easier? Rely on the experts at Hollander Storage & Moving Co. for your next move. From local to international, Hollander has provided services you can count on for the past 130 years. Request a free quote today!

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